Photo by Deb Gau Snow removal equipment headed down the center of West Main Street on Monday after a winter storm dumped more snow on top of slush and ice from earlier in the weekend. The storm brought blowing snow, slippery road conditions and power outages to parts of southwest Minnesota.

MARSHALL — Ice, snow and wind all hit parts of southwest Minnesota as a winter storm moved through the region over the weekend. And the effects lingered into Monday as crews worked to repair damaged electric lines and poles and restore power to hundreds of area residents.

A total of 300 to 400 power outages were reported for the Lyon-Lincoln Electric Cooperative on Sunday, over an area stretching from Balaton and Russell northwest to Canby. Line crews were working late into the night, said Brian Jeremiason, manager of marketing and external relations for Lyon-Lincoln Electric Cooperative.

At the same time, 534 Xcel Energy customers were also left without power in the Balaton and Garvin areas on Sunday morning. The outage was caused by damage from icy tree branches, said Xcel spokesperson Randy Fordyce.

Lyon-Lincoln Electric crews found around 17 broken power poles, and replaced 11 of them on Sunday. Jeremiason said icy conditions contributed to the outages. As ice builds up on power lines, it can put strain on utility poles and their anchors, and cause the poles or the wires to break.

Freezing precipitation switched over to snow in the Marshall area on Sunday. Preliminary data for Saturday through Monday showed a total of 6 inches of snow fell in Marshall, the National Weather Service said. Snowfall reports from Marshall on Monday morning said around 4 inches of snow fell in the 24-hour period from Sunday to Monday. Snowfall totals northwest of Lyon County were heavier, with parts of Yellow Medicine and Lac qui Parle counties in the eight- to 12-inch range, the NWS said.

Peak wind speeds at the Marshall airport Sunday into Monday were measured at 29 miles per hour, the NWS said.

Road conditions on Sunday and Monday were also slippery, with many area highways partly or fully covered in snow or blowing snow. The Minnesota State Patrol reported multiple accidents in the Marshall district between 6 a.m. Sunday and 1:30 p.m. Monday. There were a total of 11 property damage crashes, 11 vehicles that went off the road, and two jackknifed semi trucks, said Sgt. Troy Christianson of the State Patrol.

Power was restored to the majority of the Lyon-Lincoln Electric’s members by Monday morning, and Jeremiason said just one outage was left by Monday afternoon. But line crews would have to deal with several downed power poles leading up to that residence before power could be restored, he said.

“We’re very thankful the outages were limited,” Jeremiason said. “We were very fortunate,” in that Lyon-Lincoln Electric crew members were all staying in the region over the holidays, and could respond to the outages quickly, he said.

Fordyce said power was restored to Xcel customers after about three hours.

“We want to thank customers for their patience,” Fordyce said.

Jeremiason said there’s still a chance for more power outages in the future, as weather conditions warm up and the ice melts. As the ice built up on power lines falls off, it can cause the lines to connect or cross, he said. That can lead to outages from a burn down, or a breaker being opened.

Jeremiason and Fordyce encouraged area residents to report power outages or downed electric lines. There are also still some power poles and wires that haven’t been removed yet, and Jeremiason warned snowmobilers to watch out for them.

People who see a downed power line are advised to call 911 and Lyon-Lincoln Electric at 800-927-6276 as soon as possible, Jeremiason said.

The NWS is forecasting clearer weather today through the weekend, with partly sunny skies and daytime temperatures in the 20s and 30s. Marshall’s high temperature forecast for Thursday is 36 degrees, with temperatures dropping back down into the 20s on Friday and Saturday.